01 June 2009 | Uncategorized | bob

Several weeks ago I described the search I went through to find a “smudge-free” printer. I ended up purchasing a small, compact Brother laser printer, the HL-2170W. This printer had pretty much everything I wanted – small footprint, built in wireless networking, low cost, and was “easy to use.” The only thing it lacked was an automatic duplexer for automatic two-sided printing. But, my wife and I determined the extra cost for that feature was just not worth it.

The printer arrived in a big box via UPS just a few days after ordering, and I happily took it inside the house to begin installation. I unpacked it, and was greeted with the printer, the requisite software driver CD, the toner cartridge in one of those Mylar bags, and a quick installation guide. Nicely packaged, and nothing appeared broken or out of place.

Installing the toner cartridge was a breeze, and I then went to place it in the family room, its new home. I did actually look at the installation notes, and was glad I did. The notes tell you that if you want to install it using the wireless connection, they highly recommend doing the initial configuration using a wired connection, and then switching to the wireless network. I decided Brother probably had a good reason for this, so I followed the advice.

I had a spare network cable near my laptop, so I connected it to the network, and proceeded to install the software from the CD. The dialog to install was very straightforward, and I selected the option to use wireless networking, configuring with wired networking initially. I was then presented a screen to provide the SSID of my network, along with the security key. After that, those settings were sent to the printer, and I was then instructed to disconnect the network cable and restart the printer.

The driver installation also went smoothly, and when it came to the point in the process to detect printers on the network, the printer was found, a port was configured automatically, and installation was complete. I printed a test page, which worked perfectly, and I was up and running.

I also installed the driver software on two other computers in the house, so we now have three computers (two Windows Vista and one Windows XP) happily sharing the printer. The printer does have a built in web server for administration, though the web admin user interface leaves a lot to be desired. It’s obvious that Brother invested very little there. It’s pretty ugly and not very intuitive.

Overall, we’ve been very happy with the printer. After running 589 pages through it, we’ve had not one problem. I can only hope it stays that way!

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13 April 2009 | Uncategorized | bob

Did you realize you can actually cut printing costs just by choosing another font? Even with everyone looking for new ways to save money, it’s doubtful most people have considered the font they use for letters, reports, and notices, but you can actually save 31% on your ink cartridge costs just by picking the right font.

Printer.com recently put this notion to the test using two popular printers. The Canon Pixma MP 210 was picked to simulate the printing of private users while the Brother HL-2140 laser printer was used to test business use. Both printers were left at their default settings (600 by 600 dpi). Changing only the font resulted in saving between $20 and $80 per year.

Arial, reigning as the most popular font, was used as the “zero” measurement, against which nine other fonts were tested. The clear winner was Century Gothic, which returned 31% savings in both printers. For the average private user, printing approximately 25 pages per week, this will easily generate a net reduction of $20 in a year. A business-user, printing approximately 250 pages per week, could save $80. If your organization uses multiple printers, you can save hundreds of dollars per year doing nothing more than picking a more economical font.

Century Gothic is a modern font that comes standard with MS Windows. Surprisingly, it even beat Ecofont which was specifically designed with efficiency and cost in mind. For those who require a more “traditional” look, Times New Roman provides a good balance between style and savings.

Details of the research:

• 10 frequently used fonts were selected.

• The font size (10 or 11) is relative. Font size was chosen in such a way that the page filling for all fonts in the model letter was virtually the same.

• To determine the coverage, the model letter is saved as PDF file. This PDF is calculated by the software Apfill, which calculates the coverage of the specific font.

• To determine the cost of a private user per year, the inkjet printer “Canon Pixma MP 210” was used with 25 printed pages per week.

• To determine the cost of a small-business user per year, the laser printer “Brother HL-2140” was used with 250 printed pages per week.

• Both Canon and Brother publish the number of printed pages with a coverage of 5%. Through interpolation, the costs have been calculated for other coverage rates if the sample letter would be printed with other fonts.

• For the Canon printer, calculations are based upon a black cartridge PG-40 with a retail value of roughly $17 In case of the Brother printer calculations are based upon a black cartridge with a retail value of $30.

Photo credit: borman818

>> Listen to an NPR report about the U of Wisconsin’s switch to Century Schoolbook (2 minutes)

Disclaimer.
The values of the Printer.com research are approximate values that are based on the model letter. Actual situations can be different. Printer.com makes no warranties or representations whatsoever with regard to any product, information or calculation provided or offered by any manufacturer, e-store or merchant; and you hereby expressly acknowledge that any reliance on any representations and warranties, whether provided in writing or otherwise, provided by any e-Store, merchant, vendor or manufacturer will be at your own risk.

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